2021 BMW 4 Series Coupe Arrives As A Thorn In Cadillac’s Side

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• I think every luxury car marker is in Cadillac's side.
  Has anyone saw the new A3??
  Theres is nothing alluring on Cadillac's lots to say if I won the lottery or if was rich I'd like to have.

  Cadillac X4, X5, X6, Escalade
  Audi Q3, Q5, Q7, Q8, A6 Allroad, A4 Allroad, Etron, Etron SB
  BMW X1, X2, X3, X4, X5, X6, X7
  MB GLA, GLB, GLC, GLC Coupe, GLE, GLE Coupe, GLS, G
  Lexus UX, NX, RX, GX, LX

  And the comps have dream cars. Cadillac does not have one aspirational car - Allante, XLR and ELR oops!
  Audi R8
  BMW 8 and i-8 (yes it is going out of production)
  MB - SL, Maybach, AMGs, G-class, S coupe and convert
  Lexus - LC, event the LFA

  The Escalade is the only thing keeping Cadillac together.

  • And the Escalade is a "Kassie Chevy".... you're right, they have nothing to offer....

  • Some things to consider:

    1. It's XT4, XT5, XT6 and Escalade... not X4, X5 or X6.
    2. Those models cover 93 percent of the segment sales volume in luxury utility vehicles. The only remaining 7 percent are high-performance models and a smaller model than the XT4. Cadillac covers the majority of the volume market. Adding a sub-XT4 model doesn't make sense. High-performance models do make sense in some instances, and we will see those with Escalade and electric.
    3. The XT# and the Escalade are selling either relatively or very well (depending on model). They often place in the top 5 spots of the segment. One doesn't need to be an outright sales leader to have a very successful business in this space, which is what Cadillac is doing. The Escalade makes money, no doubt... but make no mistake about it - every XT# model is very lucrative.
    4. "Dream cars" do not pay the bills and often lose money, though they may have a halo effect. One car argue that Cadillac's halo cars are the V and V/Blackwing models, which it does extremely well. Cadillac spent the last few years getting its house in order first by filling out its product portfolio in core/key segments with XT# models and the revamped CT# lineup. Fun projects like halo cars can come after.
    5. The market for dream cars is not looking all that great. The R8 will soon be discontinued. The SL and S-Coupe/Convertible will be merged into one model because having both in the lineup as they are now has low volumes. The LFA was a limited-run model that lost money on every unit sold, big time. The BMW i8 loses a significant amount of money on every unit sold. Oh right, Lexus has the LC... but has discontinued the rear-drive GS and replaced it with a front-drive ES. What's the point of having a high-end car when the core model line is in dissaray?

    Ponder that ;)

    • Well what about the V blackwings? C8? Camaro? Charger/Challenger? Dream card. Why should they exist?

    • Blah blah blah.. Cadillac is failing and the lineup is not going to move the needle. Escalade perhaps... nothing else... I think deep down you agree that the line up SHOULD be better and you'd like to see it better...

      • Hey bud, if you hate the brand SO much, why don't you go spend your time doing something else? It's more fun to spend time doing things that make you happy instead of being a complete an total knob on the internet. I'd like to see what you drive!

        • If you look in the mirror there is a "knob" staring at you... putz...

          Freedom of Speech or are you a DemoRat so FOS only if I agree with you?? Last time I checked this is a blog... you know for interested bloggers...?

• Most of you are idiots. BMW has a full line up of vehicles Cadillac has just about nothing. 2 4 doors with names no one knows trying to play the tweener game, 3 CUV's and 1 SUV. The CUV's are essentially junk from GM's parts bin platform sharing program. They are not luxury and they are not special and all are failing in the market compared to their competition. Their SUV is a fancy Suburban.

  The only "real" Cadillac's are the 2 sedans only in that they are exclusive but will die soon as they're really not serious about these vehicles. They killed the finest Cadillac in decades albeit an 80% effort, in the CT6. There is nothing special anywhere in this line up. Convertibles and Coupes may not sell in huge numbers but Conv's are glamorous and Coupes are personal. Its just me and the wife and we have an SUV and I don't want a 4 door, Cadillac gives me no options but Mercedes does, BMW and Audi do.... Also, I don't want a "GT" coupe like every coupe mfd out there. All BMW/Merc/Audi coupes are slant roof GT's w/no usable back seat. Cannot SOMEONE make a Grand Prix or a Cutlass Supreme or Riviera or Eldorado w/a usable back seat. This is a market where Cad could set themselves apart... El Miraj but no... GM is a cheap @$$ company run by morons.

  And EV's are NOT taking over the market. The Communist Chinese are pushing them on their people but "Cut the power and you cut the ability to move". EV's are decades from mainstream regardless of how they are going to be pushed on us.

  • The products you have proclaimed to be "junk from GM's parts bin platform sharing program" make hundreds of millions in profits and have amortized their development and production costs in the first year of being on sale.

    If you don't personally like them, so be it. But don't try to paint a picture that the products are not successful in their own right because that is simply false.

    Let's see how long BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi continue offering coupes. They are good products, no doubt. But they are also HIGHLY niche products. Recognize it as such.

    As for EVs, the jury is still out. There is plenty of data to support the notion that they will be adopted quickly... and there is some doubt about it as well. Neither you nor I know how it will actually play out.

    • Mr. Luft;

      Quite apart from the topic at hand, why is XJUG allowed to continue posting here?

      • That's a very good question.

        He/she has yet to do anything that fully violates our policies or disrupts the equilibrium of the community... but the outburst above is definitely crosses lines.

        • Get out the pitchforks and warm up the BANHAMMER 🔨

        • The problem is the truth hurts. While the "ehhh" lineup makes money, ( treads water??) GM continues to leave market segments, global markets, and every launch except the Vette has been underwhelming. Every car magazine declares their interiors substandard for the price powertrains coarse, transmissions ehh, their customer svc is terrible and the way they treat customers with common mechanical problems.... one must join a class action law suit to get any attention. That said everything they make is off like 3 platforms. Yes others use platform sharing but there is massive differentiation. One would never know the vehicles VW Group shares because of how they operate. Of course you'll see "Audi" under the hood of a Bentley or even VW under the hood of an Audi but that's better than "Chevy" (GM parts bin) under your $70K Caddy...

          What I complain about is "frustration" that GM "ought" to be THE rock star company but its not, Hyundai is killing it in the market and GM is floundering and Cadillac is a mess.... you all know that's true...

          Alex I've crossed no lines and yes I've laid it out there but so have others. Should I expect censorship but others won't be? Sounds familiar...

      • He is a political troll, and a bully.

        • Cadillac Fatt - You're whiner and a complainer. You're rarely correct either.... GM's a mess... there is little to dispute about that. That said should this "EV Revolution" prove fantastically popular and the right move I will go to the front and applaud the "visionary leadership" that I said was pathetic... I dont think that is crow I'll be eating though.... but I'll say this, its crow I would LOVE to eat. I want GM to rock but is stinks...

  • What's in your garage?

• Cadillac doesn't need a 2-door coupe to go head-to-head with BMW's 4-series, they could simply offer a special edition CT5 that is equipped with an engine that outpaces the BMW.

• At this point, Cadillac has nothing on BMW that can compete. BMW exterior and interior design, fit, finish and material quality far exceeds anything Cadillac is doing in its sedans right now. So to call BMW a thorn in Cadillac's side is an overreach to say the least. Genesis is more a thorn in Cadillac's side these days and is doing it quite successfully. I am no fan of BMW, I'm just realistic.

  • The Cadillac would be running well after the BMW is off lease, but yes BMW have great interiors and features. Genesis isn't even of the ground yet in sales.

    • In the luxury market, it isn't about what is running better when the lease is up. The BMW driver is more likely to lease or purchase another BMW rather than head on over to the Cadillac dealership with the thought of getting more reliability. It is about the quality of the product and the experience when driving it. GM is not putting anything special into their luxury brand and I would even say has taken a step backward with the new sedan offerings, the ridiculous alphanumeric naming schemes, and the cutting of the CT6. If not for GM's chinese masters and Escalade covering for Mary's ineptitude with Cadillac, the US market might not even have Cadillac as we've known them at this point.

      Sure, Genesis has not caught up in sales yet, but every review of the brand speaks highly of their luxury, performance, dynamics, and how well they are screwed together. Cadillac is still maligned for lackluster interiors as well the fit and finish and non exciting designs. This should not be nor ever have been the case for Americas premier luxury name plate. Remember when Cadillac used to be able to claim "Standard of the World". Right now they can't even claim Standard of Florida.

      • Agree with you 100%. Genesis is already offering better products that Cadillac... by far. Their interiors blow Cad away as well as value for the dollar. Mercedes / BMW shoppers probably don't seek super value because of the cache' the brand offers, but they do look at what they're getting for their money. Cadillac is really in sad shape... its awful to watch...

• That front end looks like a modern-day Edsel.

• So what's Cadillac's mission in your mind?, they did the German coupe thing and it didn't work out, in fact Benz and BMW is cutting models in Europe and the US, that goes against some of the argument. The CT6, yes great car, but it wasn't there as a true flagship, IMO it should had stayed in production until it's replacements showed up in the US. For China, get over it, America isn't the #1 anymore for vehicle sales, if GM selling well in another market so be it.

  Genesis is more of a threat to the Japanese then Cadillac, what model they have that Cadillac don't have a counter for?, the CT6 but that's only for here, Chinese CT6 is available in select markets elsewhere.

• Cadillac is not a top tier brand anymore. Very few people will cross-shop a Cadillac against a Mercedes or a BMW. BMW is the coolest kid on the block. BMW’s brand value is so high that they can put their roundel on anything and the masses will marvel at it and buy it. The same cannot be said for Cadillac. Europeans won’t look twice at a Cadillac. We should have copied the Koreans and got the brilliant west Europeans to design cars for us. Hyundai/ Kia is already number 4 in the world because they poached BMW and Audi engineers! Our 2 car companies will drop out of the top 10 in about 3 years time. Ford will be bought by Cheery Motors of China and hopefully the Chinese will make it as successful as they have with Volvo.
  The writer deceptively describes the 4 series as a “2nd generation”, when most people know that the 3 series coupe has been around since the 1980s. BMW has so much technology and refinement, let’s be honest, the Germans have beaten us to a point where we cannot compete.
  Tesla, led by African American Elon Musk, is the only auto manufacturer that has the likes of BMW worried, but they will soon bring out cars that will crush Tesla. Tesla’s build quality is as bad as GM and Ford.

  • Please show us a 2-300k mi BMW. Those brilliant POS attract suckers that thinks a car will get them laid, the German car industry had to lay off off thousands even before CV19 because no-one want unreliable junk. Krappia (like many Asian makes) had to copy stuff to get success for Genus, I do say Acura/Infiniti is in trouble from the Koreans.

    • Guestt,

      Over 600,000 miles on an E46. I think what stops a lot of German luxury cars, including BMWs is that they get bought third or fourth hand by badge-hound folks who really don’t have the income to support them. They’re more complex cars and can be expected to have higher maintenance costs especially after 15+ years on the road when these folks acquire them. When their less we’ll-heeled fourth owner can’t afford a costly repair, the BMW gets junked. In most circumstances it could easily travel many, many more miles with a little work.

      https://bimmerlife.com/2019/10/19/driven-to-the-limit-high-mileage-e46-maxes-out-odometer/

      • Wow one one BMW, vs many of GM cars,trucks hitting that mark with 2nd-3rd hand mechanics working on them, Ive been in a beaten old Roadmaster with 600k on it and many countless GM trucks with 300k+ miles on them. My point stands and you love Euro trash so much go to a BMW site.

        • We all love Cadillac and Ford, but we are realistic. Get out of your bubble and accept the truth. The truth is that BMW is a desirable car and Cadillac is not. People who buy BMWs are not looking at Cadillacs and that makes us sad! Chill out and be honest instead of focusing on reliability. The whole world knows that Toyota and Honda have everyone beaten in that arena and no one seriously considers any GM or Ford product to be in the same universe as a Toyota for reliability.

• I’m disappointed in BMW for dropping the manual in the 4 Series although I understand it will be an option for the M4. Not everybody who wants a manual transmission wants, or can afford, that level of performance though.

  As it relates to Cadillac, GM Authority continues to try and push the narrative that Cadillac is competition for the German brands when they aren’t. As I see it, Cadillac competes more with Lincoln, Acura, and Infiniti among Tier 2 brands. I used to say they competed with Genesis but they’ve really elevated their game and Cadillac has gone backwards so I’d now put Genesis above Caddy too.

  • You are honest and I agree even though I am sad about the fact that Caddy isn't even close to as good as a German brand.

• You rock idiot boy....

• I’d echo the support for Xjug. Consider this: When asked about the need for the Cellistiq, General Motors President Mark Ruess replied to Car and Driver “Do you think the Cadillac brand is in good shape? It's not,"

  Why would anyone here advocate for banning an individual because they are saying essentially what GM’s own President has said. Cadillac is a mess of never-ending changes in management, in direction, in advertising agencies and tag lines, in model names, in product focus. It’s just been terrible for a long time now. Since we’re also talking BMW here, I’d point out they’ve had the same slogan, “The Ultimate Driving Machine”, since 1974 and it defines the brand both for consumers and for the folks running the company. That credo serves as the defining value and rallying cry for everything BMW does. What does Cadillac have? What do they stand for? What are their guiding principles? I don’t think anybody knows.

  Someone above used the wrong names for Cadillac’s products and was corrected but is that really such a crime? How long has there been an XT6, a CT4, or CT5? I think it’s a year for XT6, and maybe six months for CT5, and about three months on-sale for CT4. Comparatively, the BMW 3-Series has been in continuous production for 45 years. Their 5-Series went on sale 48 years ago in 1972. The 7-Series began in 1977. I think not knowing Cadillac’s latest naming convention is an understandable error.

  As I see it, those of us who point these things out are not the problem. Rather it’s the folks running GM and Cadillac in such an incoherent fashion that are the problem.

  I don’t think anyone comes here as a troll to bash Cadillac or GM out of hated or a desire to see the company fail. Why would anyone waste their time with that. Quite the contrary. The critics are those who care the most, whose DNA somehow has the Mark of Excellence encoded in it. I love GM. I don’t know why. I just do. It’s been that way as long as I can remember. At age four, I can remember loving cars and GM in particular. As a kid, I didn’t have pictures of Ferraris or Porsche’s on my wall. I had Camaros and Corvettes and Cadillacs. Borne out of that love is also great frustration that boils over into anger and sometimes very harsh criticism and words that are not kind towards GM’s leaders but it doesn’t come from a place of hate at all.

  I want to see GM rule again. As a red blooded American, it gives me no pleasure to say Cadillac does not compete with the German luxury brands. That isn’t what I want. I want Cadillac to not just compete but dominate. I want the lights on all night at The Four Cylinders Building (BMW headquarters) in downtown Munich because Cadillac has done something amazing that is keeping the Germans up at night. Those days don’t ever seem to come though so after all the unfulfilled promises, we diehard GM fans get frustrated and spout off. I can’t speak to or defend everything Xjug has ever said but I think I know the place from which the comments have come and I don’t think you ban those who truly do care the most and want the best for GM. Where there is passion, there is fire and I think the harsh criticism emerges out of a true passion for GM.

• I normally don't read long posts. This is the BEST post/comment I've read in a LONG time. It speaks DIRECTLY to the pain in my heart! If Alex Luft would write honestly and not with so much bias, then perhaps someone at GM wakes up.

  My argument Alex, is that Cadillac has put PROFIT too much over PRODUCT in the form of cost cutting. A temporary strategy at best. Do the Europeans fall apart, absolutely. But they have so much BRAND equity that even if not purchased outright, they keep the lease log full. Luxury marquees evoke emotion. That's the long term strategy. GM is eroding this, and those of us who LOVE GM are always sorely disappointed.

• You guys read my mind... you've captured me exactly.